Patents Examined by Edward Look
  • Assembly and method preventing tie shaft unwinding
    Patent number: 9212557
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a plurality of compressor rotors, as well as a plurality of turbine rotors. A tie shaft of the engine is constrained to rotate with the compressor and turbine rotors during normal operating conditions. Further, an upstream hub is in threaded engagement with the tie shaft. The threads of the upstream hub are handed in a first manner when viewed from an upstream location. A downstream abutment member is positioned downstream of the turbine rotors and is also in threaded engagement with the tie shaft. Threads of the downstream abutment member are handed in the first manner when viewed from a downstream location. Accordingly, the compressor and turbine sections of the engine are reliably held together, and the tie shaft is substantially prevented from unwinding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daniel Benjamin, Roger Gates, Brian C. Lund
  • Actuator for gas-operated emergency opening of an openable element of an aircraft, having means for venting the gas
    Patent number: 9211944
    Abstract: Actuator for gas-operated emergency opening of an openable element of an aircraft, having the ability to vent the gas. The actuator for emergency opening of an openable element of an aircraft includes a thrustor, a pressurised-gas reservoir where the gas reservoir having a membrane capable of being perforated in order to actuate said thrustor, a movable perforator arranged to perforate said membrane of said reservoir in order to release the gas into the thrustor via a first fluid circuit, and a venting circuit that vents, away from the thrustor, the gas contained in the reservoir, in the event of accidental rupture of said membrane, via a second fluid circuit which does not actuate said thrustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: RATIER FIGEAC
    Inventor: Eric Delbos
  • Heat exchanger arrangement for turbine engine
    Patent number: 9212623
    Abstract: A turbine engine cooling arrangement includes a core passage for receiving a core flow for combustion, a first airflow source including a first passage adjacent the core passage for conveying a first airflow, and a second airflow source including a second passage adjacent the first passage for conveying a second airflow. A heat exchanger is thermally connected with the first passage and the second passage for transferring heat between the first airflow and the second airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Murphy, Sean P. Zamora
  • Method for acoustically monitoring a wind turbine, acoustic monitoring system for a wind turbine and re-equipment kit
    Patent number: 9206786
    Abstract: A method for acoustically monitoring a wind turbine, in particular for monitoring the existence of loose objects inside the wind turbine is provided. A sound generated in a rotating part of the wind turbine is monitored during operation of the wind turbine which sound is analyzed with respect to specific parameter values of the sound within at least one specific frequency range and if such specific parameter values are detected, a signal for possible further actions is generated. An acoustic monitoring system for a wind turbine and a re-equipment kit are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Jimmi Andersen, Per Egedal, Dennis Soebye Jensen
  • Adjustable mechanical seal
    Patent number: 9206906
    Abstract: A mechanical seal is disclosed that has first and second sealing faces that are urged into contact to form a seal therebetween. One sealing face is mounted on a rotatable portion of the seal and the second sealing face is mounted on a support assembly. The joint further includes a joint permitting rotary movement between the support assembly and a stationary portion of the seal to allow adjustment of the portion of the rotatable portion relative to the stationary portion without affecting the alignment of the first and second sealing faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Vulco, S.A.
    Inventors: Ricardo Abarca Melo, Rodrigo Guzman Castro, Osvaldo Quiroz Venegas
  • Preload disk spring, assembly structure thereof, and fan using same
    Patent number: 9206807
    Abstract: A preload disk spring assembly structure for applying a preload to a bearing includes a first and a second main body correspondingly connected to each other face to face. The first main body is provided with at least one first retainer, at least one first notch, and at least one first protruded portion. Similarly, the second main body is provided with at least one second retainer, at least one second notch, and at least one second protruded portion. When the first and the second main body are aligned with each other such that the first retainer is tightly engaged with the second notch, the first notch is tightly engaged with the second retainer and the first protruded portion correspondingly contacts with the second protruded portion, the first and the second main body are brought to assemble together and form an integral body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Asia Vital Components (China) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yingliang Li, Qi Ai
  • Turbine nozzle having non-linear cooling conduit
    Patent number: 9200534
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle having a non-linear cooling conduit is disclosed. In one embodiment, a turbine nozzle includes: an airfoil, at least one endwall adjacent the airfoil, and a fillet region connecting the airfoil and the at least one endwall, the fillet region including an outer surface. The turbine nozzle also includes a non-linear cooling conduit located within the fillet region and adjacent the outer surface of the fillet region, the non-linear cooling conduit allows fluid flow through the fillet region. The non-linear cooling conduit spans substantially along an axial length of the airfoil between a leading edge of the airfoil and a trailing edge of the airfoil. Additionally, the non-linear cooling conduit includes an arc profile substantially similar to an arc profile of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Dipankar Pal
  • Systems, methods, and apparatus for a turbine interstage rim seal
    Patent number: 9200527
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for providing a turbine interstage rim seal. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for sealing a turbine rotor-bucket interface. The method can include linking a first portion of one or more rim seal segments with one or more flow path seal segments. The method includes rotating the one or more rim seal segments, upon application of centrifugal force, to displace a second portion of the one or more rim seal segments; and sealing at least a portion of a gap between a rotor and a bucket associated with a turbine with at least one or more rotated rim seal segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Matthew Troy Hafner
  • Aerofoil blade or vane
    Patent number: 9200535
    Abstract: An aerofoil blade or vane for the turbine of a gas turbine engine is provided. The blade or vane includes an aerofoil portion which, in use, extends radially across a working gas annulus of the engine. A coolant inlet is formed at an end of the aerofoil portion for the entry of a cooling air flow into the portion. A corresponding coolant exhaust is formed at the trailing edge of the aerofoil portion for spent cooling air to flow from the portion. A passage within the aerofoil portion connects the inlet to the exhaust. A fence within the aerofoil portion extends radially and forwardly from a start position at the end of the aerofoil portion adjacent the trailing edge to an end position. The passage forms a loop which extends along one side of the fence, wraps around the end position, and extends along the other side of the fence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Anthony John Rawlinson, Matthew Adams, Peter Philip Ramwell
  • Electro-hydraulic actuation group for an automotive servo-assisted mechanical transmission
    Patent number: 9200705
    Abstract: In an automotive servo-assisted mechanical transmission, an electro-hydraulic actuation group has an actuation unit, a power unit able to provide hydraulic pressure to the actuation unit and an electronic control unit, the actuation and power units being equipped with respective components that are all mounted on a hydraulic casing of the actuation unit so as to define with one another a single assembly structurally separated from the electronic control unit, at least part of the components being equipped with respective electrical connectors that are arranged in a manner such that they can all be engaged by a same multiple electrical connector device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: C.R.F. Società Consortile per Azioni
    Inventors: Marco Garabello, Andrea Piazza
  • Non-rotating stationary ground tube for a wind fairing
    Patent number: 9199720
    Abstract: A stationary ground tube for use in an aircraft rotor fairing includes a first cylindrical portion including a first bore aligned along a longitudinal axis, the cylindrical body portion having a tubular body from a first end to a second end; and a second cylindrical portion coupled to the first cylindrical portion, the second cylindrical portion including a second bore aligned along the longitudinal axis. The second cylindrical portion is coupled to the aircraft rotor fairing via at least one attachment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael C. Lonergan, Fred W. Kohlhepp, Robert D. Beatty
  • Inspection hole plug with a ball swivel
    Patent number: 9200538
    Abstract: A plug for an inspection hole of a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The plug may have a stem including a first shaft, wherein a first seal is located circumferentially about the first shaft. The plug may have a swivel seal including a second seal spaced from a ball by a second shaft, and the swivel seal may be rotatably connected to the stem by the ball. The ball and the second seal may be fixed to the second shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: David B. Walker, Christopher J. Meyer, Tsuhon Lin, Sean Joseph Bentley
  • Turbine frame fairing for a gas turbine engine
    Patent number: 9194252
    Abstract: A static structure of a gas turbine engine includes a multiple of airfoil segments and at least one structural reinforcement ring mounted to the multiple of airfoil segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jorge I. Farah, Theodore W. Kapustka, Jonathan P. Burt, Jonathan J. Jakiel, Dana P. Stewart
  • Rotating seal configuration and method of sealing a rotating member to a housing
    Patent number: 9194247
    Abstract: A seal configuration includes a housing and a rotatable member rotationally mounted relative to the housing. The rotatable member has at least one portion defining an outer perimetrical face that is configured to contact the housing during operational conditions that cause a radial dimension of the at least one portion to increase. The at least one portion has opposing axial surfaces with each of the opposing axial surfaces being dimensionally axially nearer to the other of the opposing axial surfaces immediately radially inwardly of the outer perimetrical face than a furthest part of the outer perimetrical face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Richard Johns, Eric David Roush
  • Centrifugal fan
    Patent number: 9194398
    Abstract: There is provided a centrifugal fan including an upper casing which has an air suction opening, a lower casing, and an impeller which is disposed between the upper casing and the lower casing. The impeller includes an upper shroud which is provided on an upper casing side, and a plurality of blades which are arranged along a circumference direction below the upper shroud, and is rotatable around a rotary shaft. The upper casing and the lower casing configure an open-type casing. A surface of the upper shroud facing the upper casing includes a first portion which becomes closer to the lower casing as separating further from the rotary shaft. A surface of the upper casing facing the upper shroud includes a second portion which faces the first portion of the upper shroud and becomes closer to the lower casing as separating further from the rotary shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiya Fujimoto, Takako Fukuda, Yuzuru Suzuki, Masaki Ogushi
  • Electromechanical actuator lubrication system for ram air turbine
    Patent number: 9193472
    Abstract: An actuator for a ram air turbine includes a housing that supports a piston rod arranged in a cylinder. The piston rod and the cylinder are slideably moveable relative to one another between retracted and deployed positions. A can surrounds the cylinder and is loosely fixed relative to the housing. The can is permitted to pivot relative to the housing and cylinder relative to the cylinder in a radial direction during operation. In operation, the ram air turbine is deployed by initiating a deploy sequence. The piston rod and the cylinder are extended relative to one another to the deployed position. The method includes pivoting a can that surrounds the cylinder and the piston rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gary Sasscer
  • Oil baffle for gas turbine fan drive gear system
    Patent number: 9194255
    Abstract: A turbine engine comprises compressor and turbine sections. An epicyclic gear train includes a carrier, a sun gear and intermediate gears arranged about and intermeshing with the sun gear. The intermediate gears are supported by the carrier. A baffle includes a lubrication passage near at least one of the sun gear and intermediate gears for directing a lubricant on at least one of the sun gear and intermediate gears. A method of designing a turbine engine is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: William G. Sheridan, Michael E. McCune
  • Duct damper
    Patent number: 9194251
    Abstract: An example damper includes a damping member configured to damp a duct wall at an interface between a duct band and the duct wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan C. McMahon, Robert J. Sayers, Steven W. Burd
  • Aircraft gas turbine with adjustable fan
    Patent number: 9194397
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an aircraft gas turbine having a fan rotatable about an engine axis in the inflow region of the aircraft gas turbine, with the fan having several fan blades, with each fan blade being moveably mounted on a hub rotatable about the engine axis by means of its blade root on an area which is at the front in the flow direction, and with each fan blade being moveably mounted on an area at the rear in the flow direction, on an adjusting disk axially displaceable relative to the engine axis and non-rotatable with the hub, with the pitch angle of the fan blades being variable by the axial movement of the adjusting disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd Co KG
    Inventor: Predrag Todorovic
  • Electro-hydraulic actuator with an integrated brake
    Patent number: 9194405
    Abstract: An electro-hydraulic actuator has a master cylinder, an electric motor and an electro-mechanical brake. The master cylinder has a hydraulic cylinder and an actuation piston slidably received within the hydraulic cylinder to vary pressure within a hydraulic circuit. The electric motor is adapted to drive the actuation piston into the hydraulic cylinder. The motor has a stator and a rotor. The electro-mechanical brake is arranged to selectively and releasably hold the rotor with respect to the stator to prevent relative rotational motion there between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: JOHNSON ELECTRIC S.A.
    Inventors: Yvan Bourqui, Karin Krattinger